Beaufort County schools efficiency study shows need for more administrators, not layoffs

An April efficiency study that school board members thought might bring layoffs to Beaufort County School District ended in a recommendation for more administrative jobs in the district, citing previous “cost cutting moves” that created “misalignment and confusion.”

But as the school district considers how to handle its $250 million-plus annual budget during the economic uncertainty of coronavirus, it’s unclear how — or if — these new positions will be created.

Superintendent Frank Rodriguez, who first floated the idea of an efficiency study while he was interviewing for his position in 2019, said he’s prioritizing the study’s suggestion to create more oversight for principals.

Currently, Rodriguez is the sole supervisor for the district’s 30 principals. And while the district is currently interviewing for a high-paying deputy superintendent position that’s aimed at lightening the load, the study suggested creating elementary and secondary education executive director positions to provide further oversight.

Rodriguez told school board members in April that he’ll attempt to implement some of the staffing suggestions in a “cost neutral” way.

“I may be able to do one or two of them with reorganization,” Rodriguez said. “I may be able to do those executive directors with reorganization. Other than that, it starts to add up.”

Results of the study

The study, conducted by MGT Consulting Firm, cost the district $99,923.52 according to spokesman Jim Foster.

It compares the district to 10 others — seven in state and three out of state — and draws on data from the S.C. Department of Education, job postings, and interviews and surveys with district teachers and administrators.

According to the study, the district has the lowest percentage of total spending on leadership in the state of South Carolina, per Department of Education data.

That low administrative spending has led to confusing organization charts, inefficiencies and limited opportunities for promotion, MGT consultant Karinda Barrett told the school board on April 7.

“Given prior dismantling of district departments, responsibilities were reassigned in a way that appeared to add extra work without additional support,” the study reads.

As a result of the study, MGT Consulting recommended the district:

• Add 17 human resources employees to meet the Society of Human Resource Management’s recommended HR-to-employee ratios;

• Move responsibility for school nurses and student services from HR to a new student services department;

• Move hearing officers and technology from the finance department to different or separate departments;

• Hire a new finance employee just to handle the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence;

• Add a student success leader and an athletics supervisor to the instructional services department;

• Increase bus driver salaries.

Barrett said the firm did not provide an estimate for how much implementing every recommendation would cost.

However, she said the district would have to shift about $700,000 in the budget to administration to become the second-lowest spender by percentage on administration in the state.

In an April 27 presentation to the board, Rodriguez said the “low-hanging fruit” from the study would be creating the student services and technology departments, creating a clearer organization for the human resources department and implementing more teacher mentoring programs.

“These are real needs, and we just have to see what we can do at this juncture and be responsible about it,” Rodriguez said.

Budget discussions

The district’s next move could be complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has kept South Carolina’s General Assembly from meeting to establish their budget for the next fiscal year. On average, the school district gets about $100 million in revenue from the state and about $150 million from Beaufort County, which is also waiting for the General Assembly’s next move.

Representatives from Beaufort County Council and the school board met digitally Friday to discuss the possibility of a “temporary school budget” to be implemented in July, when the new fiscal year begins.

The temporary budget would keep spending at last year’s level, when the council approved a $254 million budget for the district. While the deputy superintendent position was approved under last year’s budget, no other recommendations from the study have designated funds.

The school board will discuss the budget at its meeting Tuesday.

“I really don’t want people to freak out and say, ‘we’re in the midst of this and he wants to add 10 positions, 12 positions,’” Rodriguez said. “That’s not what I’m saying. These are needs. I’m identifying needs, and what we can do about it remains to be seen.”